Oil-contaminated soil is found in great amounts in Kuwait as a result of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Beginning on Feb. 17, 1991, the Iraqi troops ignited 798 oil wells. The oil wells discharged enormous quantities of oil onto the terrestrial environment which flowed through natural slopes and damaged around 114 km2 (44 square miles) of Kuwait landscape.
Oil spills, raptured pipelines and the like have produced oil contaminated soil in other parts of the world. While few of any such contaminations approach the enormous volume in Kuwait, it is presently believed that there is a need to recycle oil contaminated soil in many countries.
In the United States, for example, laws such as the super fund require the disclosure of the presence of said contamination to potential buyers of industrial and/or commercial property. In the United States there are several approaches for treating soil that is contaminated with hydrocarbons. For example, the contaminated soil can be transported to a landfill, but this does not remove continuing liability.
Other approaches for treating hydrocarbon contaminated soil are known but most if not all involve one or more problems as for example polluted air and/or expense.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential market for a more economical solution for recycling oil contaminated soil. Accordingly, there should be a need and a potential market for the present invention wherein oil contaminated soil is used as a replacement for up to 50% of the mineral aggregates in asphalt compositions used for road construction.